Personalities on the Plate

There is no doubt that humans are confusing and contradictory creatures, and our relationship with our fellow animals, and the environment in general, is a prime example. Humans are capable of deep compassion towards animals when it suits us but we are also omnivores. How can we love animals and eat them and not find that in some way conflicting or at the very least disturbing? My children (aged 2, 4 and 7) struggle with this concept, but at some point we begin to accept this juxtaposition as 'normal.' Barbara King addresses this topic head-on in Personalities on a Plate. She asks the uncomfortable question: Who are we eating? While a fair number of people these days are vegetarian, a good number of those still eat fish, as if they are related in some way to broccoli rather than being sentient beings. Of all the animals that we eat, fish are the species for which we have least compassion. Recent scientific research shows, however, that fish are smart and have personalities just like you and I. They have feelings and suffer pain, anxiety and stress. There is no reason to treat them any different from terrestrial farm animals. So of all the animals on our plate, fish perhaps most of all require a second thought. King's thoughtful commentary on the intelligence and personality of the animals we eat will go some way to provoking these thoughts in her audience. --Culum Brown, author of Fish Cognition and Behavior